The Mexican city most commonly credited with the invention of the Caesar salad is Tijuana.
The salad is generally attributed to restaurateur Caesar Cardini, who prepared it at his restaurant, Caesar’s, in Tijuana on July 4, 1924. The popular story says that a holiday rush left the kitchen short of ingredients, so Cardini assembled a dish from romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan, eggs, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and seasonings. It was famously tossed and served tableside.
Tijuana’s location helped the restaurant attract visitors from nearby San Diego, particularly during the era of U.S. Prohibition. The salad later spread through Hollywood and American restaurants, where anchovies, mustard, garlic, and mayonnaise-based dressings became common additions.
The origin story is not completely uncontested. Some accounts credit Cardini’s brother Alex, restaurant staff, or a cook named Livio Santini. Even so, Tijuana remains the standard answer because Cardini’s restaurant there is the place most strongly associated with the dish’s creation. The salad was not named after Julius Caesar, the Roman leader.